Volunteer Management Certificate (In-Person)

Are you feeling overwhelmed or lost with the day-to-day operations of your volunteer program? Have you recently been tasked with building a successful volunteer base for your agency? Running a successful volunteer program requires implementing smart management systems and procedures. This certificate will cover best practices and common pitfalls for building a volunteer program and managing those volunteers.

To complete the Volunteer Program Management Certificate, complete the three core workshops and the follow-up virtual group coaching session. 

To sign up, register for Part 1, and you will automatically be enrolled in the three core workshops and the virtual group coaching session.

Session Dates: February 10th, February 24th, and March 10th, April 7th (virtual coaching session) 

Part 1: Planning and Recruitment (In-Person) - 02/10/2026, 8:45am - Noon-This session will move to virtual if needed due to the impending weather.

This interactive session will go over key skills you need to know to evaluate where your volunteer program currently stands and how to make a map to where you want to go. You’ll learn to get buy-in from key stakeholders and how to create strong volunteer position descriptions. We’ll also discuss why having policies and procedures in writing is critical before getting started. 

Learning Objectives:  

•    Evaluate your current volunteer program and create a road map of where you want to go 
•    Learn to create buy-in from key stakeholders in your organization 
•    Create strong volunteer position descriptions and consider other policies and procedures 

Part 2: Orientation and Supervision (In-Person) - 2/24/2026, 8:45am - Noon

The second session will delve deep into an impact-based approach to recruiting volunteers and how to write a persuasive ad. We’ll also explore why orientation is a critical piece of managing volunteers, and brainstorm ways to succinctly describe your organizational value proposition and what format works best. 

Learning Objectives: 

•    Effectively recruit volunteers 
•    Understand why volunteer orientation is crucial for success 
•    Create an impactful elevator pitch 

Part 3: Evaluation and Recognition (In-Person) - 3/10/2026, 8:45 am - Noon

Part 3 focuses on the last pieces of the volunteer cycle. From creating training that works for every type of learner to developing an overarching system for recognizing volunteers, each component is a chance to retain volunteers. Why is that important? Volunteers are your fan club, your advocates, your donors, and your organization's friends. Build an excellent program to keep them coming back!  

Learning Objectives: 

•    Create a training outline that works for various types of learners 
•    Develop or systematize your volunteer recognition system  
•    Request feedback from volunteers  
•    Retain the volunteers you’ve worked so hard to recruit  

Part 4: VPM Group Coaching Session (Zoom) –4/7/2026  Time: 9 am - Noon

Candidates will will review what they have learned and discuss strategies to incorporate the concepts shared into their organization’s volunteer program. 

Registration deadline: February 9th at noon

 Early Bird Discount: Register by January 10th

Fees increase by $60 after Janaury 10th.